Double dose of house tours set this weekend
Homeowners looking for decorating ideas will have two opportunities this weekend to see what others have done.
Two annual home tours will be staged.
The Zelienople Historical Society will have its 22nd annual Christmas Home Tour Saturday, and the Cranberry Woman's Club will have its annual Christmas house tour Sunday.
The Zelienople event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a luncheon at noon and features nine homes in the Zelienople area.
Tickets for the event are available this week from 9 a.m. to noon at the Passavant House, 243 S. Main St., said Elizabeth Jacobs, director of the historical society.
The self-guided tour starts at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 215 N. Main St., where participants can pick up maps and information about the houses on the tour. The tour also includes a luncheon at noon at the church.
“People like to come with a carload of friends.It's a nice way to spend a day with friends and get a lot of decorating ideas; there's always something somebody can relate to with their home,” Jacobs said.
Marietta Reeb, the chairman for the event, said she selects many of the homes on the tour, sometimes by knocking on doors and asking the homeowner if he is interested.
“I try to pick ones that will appeal to all the girls, from small retirement homes or apartments to very large homes, big family homes,” she said.
The event usually sells out and brings people to the borough from as far away as Pittsburgh, she said.
The Cranberry Woman's Club event is planned for 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The self-guided tour will feature six homes. Registration will be at the Cranberry Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and participants will receive a gift bag and a pamphlet with driving directions and information about each house.
Tickets will be available at the door, though the club usually caps sales at 200, said Gina Bianchi, co-chairman of the event.
The club will also host the Cranberry Chorale during registration and will be raffling several gift baskets.
Bianchi said the homes are typically chosen through word of mouth of the club members. The club members focus on getting a variety of styles of homes and decorations. Five of the homes are in the township, while one is in Evans City.
This year's stops include an 1890s farmhouse, a log cabin home and a home with a Swedish theme.
“It has become an annual tradition for a lot of people; it kind of starts their season. I was surprised by how many couples do it. A lot of men come on this tour,” Bianchi said.
Proceeds from the event will go to benefit several charities including Habitat for Humanity, Glade Run Lutheran Services, Zachary's Mission, Gleaner's Food Bank, the Cranberry Library and Canine for Companions.
<B>Zelienople Historical Society's 22nd annual Christmas Home TourWHEN:</B> 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday<B>WHERE: </B>Self-guided tours of nine homes in the Zelienople area start from St. Paul Lutheran Church, 215 N. Main St., Zelienople<B>TICKETS:</B> Available from 9 a.m. to noon this week at Passavant House, 243 S. Main St.<BR><B>Cranberry Woman's Club Christmas House TourWHEN: </B>4 to 8 p.m. Sunday<B>WHERE:</B> Self-guided tour. Registration from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Cranberry Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road.<B>TICKETS:</B> Tickets available at door with a limit of 200.
